Vexed Bermoothes

Blustery Opinions From Bermuda

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Entries Tagged as 'Bermuda Politics'

“Bermuda Waning”

December 4th, 2008 · Comments Off

We are regularly treated with outrageous comments from the Premier and his Ministers relating to independence, international business sector, expats, and race.
Perhaps those comments have a logic in the twisted political sphere of Bermuda, but they clash with common thinking in most of the world.
We Bermudians are so used to the bullshit that we just [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics

Mockery of Public Consultation

December 4th, 2008 · Comments Off

Most lawyers in Bermuda keep their mouths shut on legislative issues - they’re too busy making money - even when proposed laws are blatantly inadequate.
Trevor Moniz (with his UBP hat on) is criticising the way that an amendment is being ramrodded through Parliament.  The change would allow bankrupt lawyers to continue practicing their trade, with [...]

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Tags: Accountability · Bermuda Politics · Transparency

Plain Talk

December 3rd, 2008 · Comments Off

Mike Winfield summed up Bermuda’s situation clearly - particularly the political roadblock caused by racial alienation - at a Bermuda Race Relations Initiative meeting last night.  I encourage you to read it.
“For generations we have been fighting each other, hurling abuse at each other, always seeking to put the other down, to score points. Any [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics

Shameless Hucksters

December 3rd, 2008 · Comments Off

They say that incumbent political candidates have many advantages, leveraging their visibility and larger resources to support their campaign.
For example, many observers noted with wonder how Middle Road was rush paved in the run up to the last election seemingly from edge to edge of the Premier’s constituency.
The PLP has taken it a step further [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics · Tourism

Turning Our Backs on Europe?

December 2nd, 2008 · Comments Off

There was a big meeting in Cayman last week between members of the Overseas Countries & Territories (OCT) and the European Union.  Who knows if Bermuda attended or not?  It seems rare for “someone” to miss an opportunity in the limelight.
One of the topics for discussion was a green paper by the European Community, published [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics

FT Says Buckle Up

December 1st, 2008 · Comments Off

The FT has a balanced article on the threats faced by the offshores including Bermuda.
“The political climate on the issue of tax havens has changed dramatically over the past three months,” says Jeffrey Owens of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. As the official who has driven the international crackdown [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics · Business

Hiding from Good Governance?

December 1st, 2008 · Comments Off

Dr. Frown (that was a typo but I’ll keep it, it fits) started ranting in Parliament again the other day.  It seems that in his world just about anything is a cause to go independent.
He’s throwing a hissy about an inquiry into banking regulations? Even Finance Minister Cox thinks its routine stuff.  The Brits have [...]

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Tags: Accountability · Bermuda Politics · Transparency

Dr. Brown on the Tightrope

December 1st, 2008 · 1 Comment

This is a long post so please bear with me:  it’s important.  As you well know, the heat is on amongst many countries to clamp down on offshore financial centres.  The biggest threat to Bermuda is coming from the US, where powerful business interests are lobbying for punitive action against Bermuda’s insurers.  The offshores are [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics · Independence

Funny Money

November 28th, 2008 · Comments Off

Predictably, Bermuda’s attempt to flip the bird to the Queen on our new banknotes has flown awry.
“To provide a sense of national pride” the new notes brightly feature local flora and fauna … except the bird that is a centrepiece of many of the notes is not the orange-billed Bermuda Longtail.  According to Bermudian audobon [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics

Shooting the Messenger

November 27th, 2008 · Comments Off

There is much talk in local corporate boardrooms about the arrogance of the Bermuda Government, its inexplicable hostility towards the international business community, and the disintegration of Bermuda’s once-envied public/private partnerships.
The divide was clearly shown in the Senate yesterday, when a UBP Senator raised a quote from the CEO of major Bermuda insurer at a [...]

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Tags: Bermuda Politics · Business